Saudi Economy Passes $1.1 Trillion as GDP Surges
Saudi Arabia’s GDP reached SR4.155tn ($1.1tn), according to a report by the Federation of Saudi Chambers. The report, issued on the occasion of the Kingdom’s 93rd National Day, stated that GDP exceeded the $1tn-mark for the first time.
It means Saudi Arabia joins the trillion-dollar club and is achieving the national goal well ahead of the target date of 2025.
According to the report, the Saudi economy achieved a growth rate of 8.7 per cent, the highest among the G20 member states, spurred mainly by its production capabilities.
This is reflected in the increase in the self-sufficiency rate of the Saudi economy to 81.2 per cent, and the increase in the investment rate (the invested percentage of output) to 27.3 per cent.
Such performance led to increased confidence in the national economy and the Saudi riyal as a store of value by increasing the ratio of local currency deposits to total savings deposits from 66.5 per cent in 2021 to 67.7 per cent in 2022.
The Kingdom was ranked 17th in the global economy out of the world’s 64 most competitive countries. According to the Global Competitiveness Report of the International Centre for Management Development (IMD), the Kingdom has ranked second in the world in terms of the growth rate of international tourists, and it ranked 51st in the Global Innovation Index.
The rate of integration of the Saudi economy into the global economy increased by 63.1 per cent.
The report indicated that the Saudi private sector will continue its strong role and performance thanks to its status as an effective partner in the comprehensive development process and in achieving the goals of the ambitious Vision 2030.
The private sector’s contributions to GDP increased to SR1.634tn ($436bn), or 41 per cent of GDP, with a growth rate of 5.3 per cent, according to the report.
The report said non-governmental investments increased to SR907.5bn ($242bn), with a growth rate of 32.6 per cent, to an 87.3 per cent contribution to the total fixed investments.
The number of workers in the private sector has increased from 8.084 million in 2021 to 9.422 million in 2022, with a growth rate of 16.6 per cent, according to the report.
Under the localisation endeavour of the labour force, the number of Saudis working in the private sector has increased from 1.91m in 2021 to 2.195m in 2022, with a growth rate of 14.9 per cent, which was reflected in an increase in the percentage of Saudi workers in the private sector to 58.2 per cent.
The report highlighted the success of the Kingdom’s policies regarding diversifying the economic base and supporting Saudi exports to global markets.
Exports of goods and services increased by 54.4 per cent, and the export capacity of the Saudi economy increased from 33 per cent to 39.3 per cent of the GDP.
The value of exports of goods and services rose to 171.9 per cent of the value of imports of goods and services in 2022, up from 134.5 percent the previous year.
The value of non-oil exports reached SR315.7bn ($$86bn), with a growth rate of 13.7 per cent, accounting for 20.5 per cent of commodity exports, and reaching 178 countries around the world.
The report expected that the Saudi economy and the private sector to continue their strong performance, citing various economic indicators, government support packages, and huge projects being implemented in various regions across the Kingdom.
